


Lock & Key

by arobynsung



Category: Leverage
Genre: Character of Color, F/M, One of My Favorites, flangst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-03
Updated: 2010-01-03
Packaged: 2017-10-05 17:16:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/44088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arobynsung/pseuds/arobynsung
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>People are like locks...you have to take time and be fiddly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lock & Key

**Author's Note:**

> The quote's from The Beantown Bailout Job.

_I think people are like locks..._

"You know you've never told us your name."

Parker blinked, "It's Parker."

Hardison smiled indulgently as he typed away on his laptop, "Yeah, I mean your first name, or is it your last name we don't know?"

Her forehead tensed. "Parker."

Hardison stopped smiling.

Parker felt her stomach tighten when he looked up at her.

"Okay." He turned back to his laptop frowning at the screen. "It's the office two windows to your right."

When she jumped, the thrill wasn't as heady this time.

  
_Really complicated and frustrating.._.

"You want to talk about it?"

Parker frowned, the way she always did when confronted with a moment rife with the potential for intimacy.

Her lips pursed briefly. She answered, "No."

Hardison did his best not to sigh, he really did.

It didn't escape her notice.

  
_But you can't force them..._

"I hate clowns."

Hardison was unamused, Parker wanted to squeeze his big red nose.

"I love clowns, they're always smiling no matter what."

She squeezed the nose, smiling lightly at Eliot as he muffled his laughter behind a fist.

Hardison glared halfheartedly but Parker could tell he was a little amused. She wasn't sure how she knew that.

"How is it that I have to be the clown? Why can't Eliot be the clown?"

Parker squeezed his nose again, "Clowns always smile. You have a nice smile."

  
_You have to take time and be fiddly..._

"They're doing it again."

She turned to Hardison who'd just walked in from the living room.

"Who?"

Hardison sighed, "Nate and Sophie. Like they think we can't decipher their oh-so-subtle code."

Parker leaned back against the kitchen counter watching Hardison's back bend as he opened the fridge and looked into it.

"You mean that thing when they argue about a case but it's really not about the case?"

She watched his back unbend as he straightened, two orange sodas in hand. He looked surprised. They always looked surprised when she caught on to something they didn't think she would.

Hardison was the worst at covering up his surprise, she didn't mind, his eyes always held a bit of pride mixed in.

"Yeah, it's annoying as hell."

Parker's head bowed and she looked at the floor for a quiet moment before looking up again.

"I don't think they're the only ones who do it."

Hardison chuckled, "I know, I know. It's just how people do things," he said, as he held out a soda.

She accepted the cold can, the condensation wetting her fingers, "I wasn't talking about people."

This time he didn't look surprised, but she did notice the pain.

Parker winced minutely. "But yeah, it's how people do things." She popped the can open and left the room.

  
_You learn to be patient, and just wait until you hear the..._

Hardison was playing his video games again. Parker thought it was funny that he couldn't shoot a gun in real life but could beat Eliot at the shooting games with the blue aliens, but then again Hardison had always been better at the virtual world stuff.

Then the thought occurred to her, though it didn't terrify her as much as it should have.

She clenched her fists briefly, appreciating the tension. "Hey, Hardison?"

"Yeah," he responded absentmindedly his concentration on destroying the two blue aliens coming at his little virtual man, Parker wondered if she should warn him about the other alien coming in from the side.

"Have you ever tried looking me up?"

Alec turned his gun on the other alien too late. He sighed and let the game exit out.

Settling back into the couch Hardison turned his head to the ceiling, neck resting on the back of the couch.

Parker wondered if he wanted her to repeat the question. She wasn't sure she could.

"I did." Something tugged at her heart and she fidgeted uncomfortably.

He continued, "When Nate first got us working together, I had to check your heist record to see what you could do."

He turned his head to her, "I didn't look up anything further back than that."

Parker smiled, she trusted that. "Thank you."

Something tugged at her heart again, this time she didn't mind, it felt like joy.

  
_Click._

**Author's Note:**

> What video game has blue aliens, you ask? No specific title comes to mind, but I'm sure there's a blue alien getting shot up in some video game somewhere.
> 
> Full quote:  
> Parker: I think people are like locks... really complicated and frustrating...but you can't force them.  
> You have to take time and be fiddly...  
> Hardison: Fiddly?  
> Parker: You learn to be patient, and just wait until you hear the...  
> *lock mechanism clicks*


End file.
